John Grayson, independent researcher at South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group, told Planet Ivy: "It is an absolute scandal that G4S, with its appalling record with children in the asylum system, continues to manage children’s prisons and homes on behalf of taxpayers.

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"Not only does G4S continue to detain children at its Cedars deportation centre, but its record over the past year in privatising asylum seeker housing in Yorkshire and the North East has shown total disregard for the wellbeing of young children."

A spokesman for the company said: "The death of Gareth Myatt was fully and independently investigated by the police, Coroner and Youth Justice Board.

"The Coroner ruled that in this case, death was accidental, probably caused during lawful restraint, and he highlighted that the dangers of positional asphyxia were not known to trainers or even national instructors at that time.

"There was no suggestion that any member of staff had acted unlawfully and in fact, the coroner’s observations in this case led to changes in the way restraint is used and how training is delivered in every secure training centre in the country."